The Guardian's Grimoire

by Oxford, Rain

  “No talking,” Edward whispered to me. “No magic,” he warned Divina with a harsher whisper.

  We followed him to the little cabin. I saw a sudden, slight movement from Divina and the lid of her backpack lifted. Shinobu’s glowing silver eyes peeked out at me and I felt a rush of joy. I had no idea what Edward would do, but I had time to figure it out. At the very least, if she is as deadly as everyone seems to believe, she can help fight, which may convince Edward to let me keep her.

  We reached the cabin and Edward knocked three hard, even knocks. The door burst open, there was a gasp, and then the door was quickly pulled shut until it was only slightly cracked. A small man, about a head shorter than me and startlingly delicate-looking, poked his balding head out.

  “Yatunus-mal. Madate.” He shut the door.

  I was startled, but both Divina and Edward were calm and focused, as if this was normal. I heard the sound of a woman’s voice a few seconds before the door opened wide and the small man barreled out, pulling on a dark green robe. I almost lost my balance trying to move out of his way as he dashed towards the giant sphere. As he did, he pulled a key out from inside his robe.

  We followed him to the globe, which he halted in front of the stand. When he stuck the key into the podium, the glass dome split down the middle and rolled back until it was completely open. To my great fascination, a two-foot-wide section of the smooth, white, lower half molded into a solid set of steps.

  Edward and the little man spoke for a few minutes before Edward gave him money and Divina nudged me towards it. I really didn’t want to be the first to get on that thing, as I could see no flat bottom, but the thought of refusing in front of Divina was unacceptable.

  It didn’t creak or give as I walked up the steps, fortunately. The platform had a hard foam-like floor, similar to the hotel’s floor, and was lined with a long bench seat. Without needing to be told, I took a seat. Divina removed her backpack and sat very close to me. Edward joined us a few minutes later, the steps dissolved back into the sphere, and the glass top slowly slid back into place.

  “I hope you don’t get motion sickness or dizzy easily,” Divina told me.

  I actually got both, but I didn’t feel I needed to mention that.

  “You’re going to want to close your eyes when we get in the water.”

  The sudden sound of grinding metal was ominous as the globe lurched toward the water.

  The water line had almost reached the glass when the globe suddenly plunged into the depths of the ocean. By the time we came to a full stop, we were completely submerged in the ocean, and the air was very far away.

  This is asking for trouble.

  The spherical ship seemed to handle the water and the pressure, though I couldn’t imagine how.

  A soft clicking sound broke the silence as lights came on. There were two of them, one on either side of a track, much like a rollercoaster track. I stood to see them and as I did, another set came on about four feet away, scaring a school of particularly scary fish away.

  Divina pulled me back down just before the dome began moving again; however, this wasn’t forward. The dome started to spin, slowly, but gaining speed. I closed my eyes and I was pretty sure we were also moving forward. The dome got so fast that we were pressed tightly against our seats. It was apparently moving forward super fast as well, because the spinning started to slow after only about ten minutes.

  I felt a jerk as it came to a halt, then rose, and then stopped again. The gust of wind as the top parted suggested we were stationary, but I was too nauseous to tell.

  Divina nudged me. “You can open your eyes now,” she said.

  I shook my head and instantly wished I hadn’t. “No, I don’t think I can.”

  Divina pulled me up onto my feet. “Just take it slow. That was the quickest way across and everyone hates it at first.”

  Her soothing, silky voice had a positively glorious effect on me. I opened my eyes and allowed Divina to push me down the steps, which had returned. With the forest of Shomodii before me and the bright twin moons above, I didn’t feel overwhelmed like I should have; I felt like I was back home.

  “Wasn’t so bad, was it?” Edward asked.

  “Any landing you can walk away from is a good one,” I said as I tried to hold onto the ground. We headed into the forest, but I had to take a quick side trip to relieve my churning stomach. After a few minutes of trying to decide which way was up, I found that I was making it through the woods much better than I had the first time.

  When we broke through the trees, it was unexpectedly comforting to see Edward’s cabin, even though I had only been there for a few days.

  “Hurry up,” Divina said, “I won’t be an hour.”

  I handed her my book and she disappeared into the forest.

  “You heard her. Get in,” Edward said.

  Once inside, Edward dropped the bags to the floor, opened the trap door, and disappeared down it. By the time I got down into the bedroom, there was a lit lamp, hanging close to his bed and he was pushing aside the bookshelf to reveal a secret room no bigger than a closet.

  Edward dragged out a long chest that scraped loudly across the floor. Before he could even open it, I felt like it held something powerful and dangerous. He propped open the lid, exposing a sword. This sword was something entirely amazing. The shape was that of a katana; a samurai sword. The handle was wrapped in a thin metal cloth overlain with a firm, thick black net to give it better grip. The hand guard, with two enclosed slits, was made of a black material and I couldn’t tell if it was stone or metal. The sheath was black leather over wood.

  “Go ahead,” Edward said.

  I picked up the sword gently, startled to find it warm, and pulled off the scabbard. The blade itself was the beauty of the sword. As reflective as marble and as black as space, the blade seemed to ward off the light around it with an aura of power.

  “That was Ronez’s sword. It was created for him; for the Guardian of Earth, so even as his twin brother, I cannot wield it. The blade is made of a metal from Vaigda called azurath. It was made for Ronez as a gift from Vaigda’s Guardian. This metal is unbreakable by physical or magical attack. Magic cannot be used on it and fire cannot heat it. The fact that you can lift it tells me more than anything that you were meant to be the Guardian of Earth as much as Ronez was. No one but you and the gods can even lift it for long.”

  And yet, the sword felt so very light.

  He turned and began rummaging through the closet. I fitted the sword into the belt harness Edward had made me get. Edward handed me a basic, black-handled dagger, which I stared at expectantly. When it didn’t reveal to me where it was supposed to go, I stuck it in my belt as well, and it stayed well enough. Edward came out with a sword and a dagger at his side, and slipped a throwing knife into his boot.

  I had no warning this time. I was with Edward one moment, and the next, I was opening my eyes in the room I saw Vretial in so often. There was a light lit behind me and Vretial was turned the other way so he couldn’t see me. We were alone.

  “Hello,” Vretial said. I was startled for a second, seeing as how no one was here but the two of us. “Sit down.”

  A wooden chair came out of the dark and I had to move out of the way so it wouldn’t hit me. It stopped, facing Vretial. I’m slow sometimes, but I’m not dumb. I sat.

  “How long have you known I’ve been watching?” I asked him, my voice more casual than I had dared to hope.

  “For as long as I needed to. Of course, if I try to look at you, your book will pull you away. Then I’d have to pull you back and that can get very annoying. I would prefer to just talk.”

  “How am I able to move and speak this time when I couldn’t before?”

  “I have called you here myself this time, using your bond with Earth. So tell me, child, why have you been running from me?”

  His politeness was unnerving and I found myself sitting on the edge of my seat, ready to run. Where to, I had no clue. “B
ecause you’re after my book.”

  “Yes, so?”

  “So, you can’t have my book, or Edward’s.”

  “Why not?” he asked, as if he couldn’t imagine.

  “Because they don’t belong to you. You have two worlds already. That’s more than enough for the other gods.”

  “I want it and I have just as much right as the others to have it. If anything, I have more. I don’t let my worlds shrivel up and die like the other gods.”

  “What do you mean? Are you saying Tiamat can’t handle Earth? I lived there and I had no complaints.” Well, maybe a few…

  “You like that the people of your world suck the life out of the planet and each other?”

  “Of course not, but that’s not her fault.”

  “Isn’t it? She controls the world yet she pays it no attention. Has she told you the last time she listened to a human’s needs?” he asked.

  I frowned. For a god, he seemed to be missing a few key facts… and screws. But then again, he didn’t know where I was. Maybe a god only really knows the beings of his own world. “We haven’t spoken.”

  “I highly suspect otherwise. Tiamat must have contacted you. I suspect she has and you just don’t know. That’s the problem with you lower beings. I could suck your life out right now, but here you are, only wanting a conversation and not fearing me.”

  “You requested the conversation. You said you only wanted to talk.”

  “That I did, but I would appreciate a little fear. It’s a bit rude, you know. I’m the higher being, so I should decide if there is peace while you graciously accept whatever mercy I give you.”

  “Why do you care if I fear you if you can kill me so easily?”

  “What has everyone put into your head? If I were to kill everyone just because I could, there would be no one and nothing to rule. I have no interest in killing you. It really doesn’t matter either way to me, until you start being rude. I don’t like it when people do not fear me.”

  “Then make me fear you. You’re a god, aren’t you?”

  “I’m working on that. The humans of Earth and sago of Duran will fear me as they should and Tiamat and Erono will be defeated soon enough. And with my new power, I will overcome the other worlds. Then I will be the only one to fear. There will be balance.”

  He completely lost me there. Cold wind swirled and I could feel my body grow heavy and numb. I slid out of the chair and my eyes closed.

  * * *

  Edward was shaking me awake. When I sat up, there was no suffocation. “He wanted to talk.” I dove right into the explanation. “He said Tiamat would want to talk to me and I’m pretty sure that he thinks what he’s doing is good. He was very polite.”

  “He’ll be very polite as he’s melting your brains, too. Tell me later what happened. If it wasn’t important, we have to go. That may have been to stall for time,” he said.

  It wasn’t, though. I didn’t know how I knew, but I’ve always been good at reading people, and Vretial seemed to be one of the easiest. “Divina won’t be able to get you to your apartment, but we shouldn’t be long. Stay where she leaves you in case she needs to pick you up quickly. Practice your studies while you have the chance.”

  He then moved on to collecting certain books from the shelf. “Can’t you take me back? You can take me back to my apartment…” where Vivian will be.

  “No. I have to …” He went silent and my heart followed suit. “Dylan… go to Divina.” By his posture and expression, I knew that he was listening to something.

  “Are the bad guys near? Come with me. You can’t fight them alone.”

  “I am over two thousand years old and studied magic my entire life; I can handle a fight. Go to the springs and follow it up until you reach Divina’s house. She has your book and she can’t protect herself as well as I can. At the very least, you need to warn her.”

  He was right. As much as I wanted to help Edward, Divina needed to be warned.

  “Go.”

  I did. I hated it, but I had no choice. Moreover, I’d seen Edward take on the servant cats on Earth, where his power was “weak,” and I couldn’t imagine one wizard taking him out.

  The run to the springs was an easy one, which I contributed partly to my new boots. I couldn’t get over what I was doing; leaving Edward behind. However, when I got there, I found myself stumped. I had no idea which way was “up” the springs. The water was still and there were no identifiable mountains in one direction or the other. I could practically hear the seconds tick by over my deafening heartbeat. The answer was right in front of me; I just had to figure out how to use it.

  Sitting on the same large rock as earlier was the little spirit girl with whitish hair. She sat in her cross-legged position with her eyes locked on me. With my vast experience with women to back me up, I decided to ask her with as much charm as I could muster. “Excuse me, uh, spirit girl? Can you please tell me which way is up?” She didn’t move, so I slowly approached her and tried again. “Do you know which way it is to Divina’s?”

  She disappeared. Startled, I stepped back, tripped on a rock, and fell… right through the little girl. As I looked up, she was facing away from me, but then, without turning, she was facing me.

  “No names.” There was a whisper in my head, yet her mouth didn’t move.

  “The bright one,” another voice whispered.

  The overall effect was creepy as hell. There was a sound in the forest behind me; something like a deep chain saw. The girl was suddenly frightened.

  “He’s coming.” With that, she pointed the opposite way down the springs, and then was gone.

  I struggled for a second with the idea of going to help them, but I had no idea how, and I already had a problem on my hands. I climbed to my feet and started in the right direction when suddenly my path was blocked.

  It was the little girl with the red eyes. She looked younger than ever surrounded by the huge trees, with the same white dress and her hair tied back into a black ribbon.

  “Hi. What is your name?” she asked harmlessly.

  I’ve never had much experience with little kids, but I knew they could be very dangerous, especially the quiet ones. “I’d love to chat, but I’m late for a fight.”

  “There will always be fights… well, not when my master gets the books. But you don’t have your book on you.”

  “How do you know I’m a Guardian?”

  “You smell like one. That, and ink. Where is your book? If you tell me, there will be no reason to kill you,” she said. Her tone was entirely innocent and it was extremely creepy.

  I focused on the energy around me, and then on the temperatures, or the differences anyway. Unlike Divina’s warmth or Edward’s heat, this girl radiated something cold that went straight to my bones. Whether she was telling me the truth or not, there was nothing good in her.

  I pointed behind me. “That way. How are you speaking English?”

  She looked insulted. “What is English? My master’s powers make sure I am able to understand and be understood by anyone.”

  That made sense because my book was apparently able to translate in my dreams, but something about it bugged me. “Where is Edward?” I asked.

  She frowned. “The other Guardian? We will take him to my master until we can get your book. If you are very cooperative, I will ask my master to send you and the other Guardian back here unharmed, even though it is an inconvenience.”

  “I have no proof you will keep your word.”

  “Of course not. But I can promise you that if you do not cooperate, my master will get impatient and kill the other Guardian to punish you. Also, because my master will be upset with me, I will punish you. I will strip through your brain to find everything important to you, and destroy it.”

  It was so creepy to hear someone say that in a child’s voice. Edward hadn’t shown me how to protect my thoughts.

  “That is okay. It would not help; I can search your memories without you thinking them. Y
our lover… Vivian. What if I killed her? What if I used my magic on you to make you kill her? And… your mother. You dislike her, but you love her. And… Divina. She has your book. So, I guess you are not really needed. In which case, surely my master would not care if I kill you.”

  That was my cue. I didn’t clear my mind or close my eyes. I pushed the energy already built up inside me into her as fast as I could, which seemed to catch her by surprise. As I flooded her with nominal energy, I heated the energy inside her. It was a dark and dirty trick, but I had to protect myself. For a moment, I thought it would work. She broke out in sweat and groaned, before shaking it off like a dog. I could feel the energy cool and leave her body no matter how hard I tried to keep it heating.

  When she started laughing, I gave up. “I would say nice try, but that was just weak,” she taunted.

  She raised her right hand and I didn’t even get the chance to spot a hiding place before excruciating pain filled my body. I was on the ground, spasming when it suddenly ended. Shinobu was in my arms, though I couldn’t feel her over the numbness that came in absence of the pain. The little girl cradled her arm with the utmost agony on her face, as there was a very sinister bite on her wrist and all the skin around it was black. The blackness was spreading quickly and the skin around the bite was dissolving.

  That would explain why Edward didn’t want me to be near Shinobu.

  Despite the fact that she was evil and wanted to kill my loved ones, I wanted to help the little girl; I don’t like seeing children in such pain. I also thought about taking off in the opposite direction, but I could barely move, let alone get up and run. I was even too numb to feel the energy around me, so I couldn’t do any magic. Knowing I had to make it to Divina, I rolled over onto my knees, holding Shinobu up so I didn’t crush her. My limbs didn’t want to cooperate, so it took several minutes before I could even manage to crawl. All the while, the girl was screaming and groaning in pain.